Silverstorm's Secret
by GirlGodzilla23
Summary: A story of romance, betrayal and a secret that threatens to destroy the clans if the truth isn't brought out. Takes place roughly 10-15 years after The Last Hope.
1. Chapter 1

"C'mon, Silverkit! Play with us. I'll let even you be clan leader this time. Grr!"

Silverkit flinched as she felt her brother's small paws pummel into her side, her eyes opening. She let out a weak growl and rolled onto her back, trying to shove the bigger kit off of her. Her hind paws battered at Nightkit's stomach and suddenly his heavy weight was lifted off of her. She blinked in surprise at her victory and jumped to her feet, ready to pounce. But Nightkit was already on the nursery floor, pinned underneath Stonekit. She coughed as dust was kicked into her face as her oldest brother Hawkkit charged past her and into the play fight. Her tail drooped as she watched her brothers wrestle, clearly having forgotten all about her. Again.

"Stop that! If you're going to be that rough, go outside." Scolded Dawnfeather as Stonekit nearly rolled into one of her tiny kits, who had been born only a few sunrises earlier. Her tail curled protectively around the two kits as she watched Silverkit's brothers chase each other out of the nursery.

Stumbling after her brother's vanishing tails, Silverkit called out to them to wait up but by the time she made it out into the camp her brothers had disappeared. Frowning, she pressed her nose to the ground, trying to pick up their scent. She sneezed, falling back onto her haunches, her legs trembling slightly. Even though she was almost six moons like her brothers, she was barely half their size and not much bigger than Dawnfeather's kits. Her father affectionately called Silverkit his little miracle, because she had been so close to going to Starclan so many times. Her earliest memories were in the medicine cat's den, full of pain and sickness. Defying the odds, she had somehow pulled through it, surprising everyone in the Clan. Though she had overcome the worst of her sickness, she was still smaller and weaker than her brothers.

"Silverkit!" Her ears pricked up as she heard her father's familiar mew.

"Get back into the nursery now. Was that a sneeze I heard? I don't want you coming down with a cold now." He gently scolded, picking her up by the scruff despite her protests.

"But I want to go play with Nightkit and Stonekit and –", She protested.

"Stormstar." Dawnfeather looked up from her nest, looking half amused and half irritated at her leader. "She'll be ready to be an apprentice soon enough. She and her brothers have been driving me half-mad in this nursery."

Stormstar set Silverkit down, his tail twitching. "Oh no she won't, not if she's still too sick. She'll stay in here until she's well enough to leave!" He hissed, and then murmured more quietly, "I won't lose her too."

Silverkit's ears flattened. He never let her have any fun! He never fussed over her brothers like this. They were always getting to go outside and play while she had to stay inside with boring old Dawnfeather. "I'm ready to become an apprentice!" She spat, "You just don't want me to grow up! I won't stay in here for the rest of my life while Nightkit and Hawkkit and Stonekit get to go out and have fun adventures without me!"

With that, she scampered out of the nursery, only stumbling once. Her father let her go, looking at her with a sad expression. "Her mother was just as determined. They look so alike…" He murmured. Dawnfeather let out a soft sigh, standing up and resting her tail on her leader's shoulders.

"I know you miss Breezewing. But hiding away Silverkit isn't the answer. She's only going to resent you if you keep holding her back." She reminded him quietly, her tone suggesting as if this wasn't the first time they had this conversation.

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Silverkit."

The small she-kit stirred, looking around for the source of the voice. Who was there?

"_Silverkit."_

A soft scent washed over her, a scent that was overwhelmingly familiar yet she had no idea who it belonged to. "Silverkit." A glimpse of dappled silver brushed in front of her sight, disappearing into the darkness. She began to run, hearing her name called over and over again, getting quieter the faster she ran.

"Who are you? Come back!" She cried.

"Silverkit!" A paw jabbed her in the side sharply. She opened her eyes, the strange scent still sharp in her noise, warm and comforting but leaving her feeling unsettled.

"What?" She mewed crossly, looking up into the wide blue eyes of her brother. She had always liked Nightkit the best of her three brothers – Hawkkit and Stonekit liked to tease her and put beetles in her nest – but she was about ready to claw him for waking her up. She had been so close…

"You were mewling in your sleep. Plus, it's almost time for our apprentice ceremonies!" Her frustration at her brother melted away, replaced with excitement. Their apprentice ceremonies! She sat up, rapidly beginning to lick her fur into place. How could she have forgotten? Just last night Dawnfeather had hinted that today would be the day that they had started training.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather under the Highledge for a clan meeting!" She heard her father's yowl echo through the camp and a fresh wave of excitement washed over her.

"Let's go!" She mewed excitedly to her brother, scampering out to join her other two brothers, who were already waiting at the bottom of the ledge, looking freshly groomed and just as thrilled as she was.

Traditionally, their mother would have groomed them and sat next to them as they were made apprentices, but their mother Breezewing had died just shortly after kitting. Silverkit had no memories of her and though she had often pestered the elders and her father for more information on her mother, she had only gleaned that she was a brave and kind warrior.

"Stonekit, Hawkkit, Nightkit, and Silverkit…" Her father addressed each of them in turn, his amber eyes glowing with pride, "You have reached the age of six moons and it is time for you to be apprenticed."

"Stonekit." The largest kit stepped forward, his dark gray pelt neatly groomed, the only sign of his excitement in his blue eyes, his head held high. "From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Stonepaw. Ravenstorm, you are ready for your first apprentice. Your mentor was Rockclaw and I hope that you will pass down all the fighting skills and bravery that he taught you to Stonepaw."

Ravenstorm stepped forward, touching noises with the newly named apprentice. Silverkit was glad that he wasn't her mentor – she remembered on her first day out of the nursery, she had accidentally stumbled into the young black warrior and nearly gotten her ear shredded. He was known to be cross and bad-tempered, getting along with very few cats but his sister.

"Hawkkit."

The black tabby tom bounded forward, whiskers quivering. "From this day onward, until you receive your warrior name, you shall be known as Hawkpaw."

The clan called out his name. Once it was quiet again, Stormstar called out, "Grayheart."

The large dark tom blinked his eyes in warm surprise. "You have mentored Raintail and he is a credit to his clan. I hope that you will pass on the same courage and patience to Hawkpaw."

The clan cheered again as the two pressed noses. Silverkit heard the older tom murmur to her brother, "I will teach you all that I know, young warrior."

"Nightkit. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you shall be known as Nightpaw. Fernheart, you too are ready for your first apprentice. Your mentor was Morningsky and I hope that you will pass down the skills she taught you to Nightpaw."

Silverkit purred, calling out her favorite brother's new name as he eagerly touched noses with his new mentor. She liked Fernheart – she was much friendlier than her brother and had always been kind to Silverkit and her littermates.

There was a pause, as Stormstar's eyes landed on her. For a moment, fear clenched at her heart. He wouldn't hold her back from becoming an apprentice, would he? He hesitated several long, painful moments before calling out her name,

"Silverkit."

Letting out her breath, she scampered forward, eyes wide with excitement. She was going to be an apprentice!

"From this day forward, until you receive your warrior name, you shall be known as Silverpaw."

Silverpaw eagerly glanced around, standing on the tips of her toes, trying to figure out who her father had chosen to be her mentor.

"Goldenfrost."

The pale golden warrior stepped forward. A shiver ran from the tip of Silverpaw's nose to her tail. Goldenfrost! Though young, he was easily the best fighter in the clan. Windflower had told Silverpaw stories of his grandfather, Lionstar, who had been a descendant of one of the greatest Thunderclan leaders ever to live, Firestar. Rockclaw was certain that he would be their next deputy, as Emberclaw was close to retiring because of a persistent cough that had never gone away when he had caught greencough last leaf-bare. He so was noble and kind and handsome… and he was to be _her _mentor!

"You are ready for your first apprentice. I was your mentor and I trust that I leave Silverpaw in good paws and hope that you will pass down your determination and courage onto her."

Goldenfrost's eyes shone with pride as he stepped towards his apprentice. Silverpaw was so excited that she thrust her nose a little too harshly into his, making their heads bump together and her eyes water smartly. Hot embarrassment ran down her fur, but Goldenfrost's whiskers merely twitched with amusement.

"It's alright. I tripped over my own paws, I was so excited, when I first made an apprentice." He whispered and suddenly she didn't feel so mousebrained. She let out a grateful purr and touched her nose to his again shyly, this time more gently.

"Stonepaw! Hawkpaw! Nightpaw! Silverpaw!"

She was a real apprentice of Thunderclan!


	2. Chapter 2

"Silverpaw!"

The dappled she-cat came to a skidding stop, sending leaves flying everywhere. Casting a guilty glance back, she gazed into the irritated green eyes of her mentor.

"Do you want to scare every mouse into their hole? Great Starclan, I bet Shadowclan could hear you from here." Goldenfrost scolded, "You know that every piece of prey is invaluable in leaf-fall. We need to strengthen up the clan before leaf-bare."

"Sorry!" Silverpaw mumbled.

"Sorry feeds no bellies!" Her mentor snapped. Hawkpaw cast a sympathetic glance at his sister as he and his mentor caught up to them. Grayheart looked amused, his whiskers twitching.

"I'm _sorry_!" She repeated irritably, the tip of her tail twitching. He was worse than her father! She regretted ever looking up to him. Goldenfrost was nothing but a grumpy nag that was never satisfied with whatever she said or did. He worked her twice as hard as the other apprentices. She never thought she would say that she wished some cat didn't believe in her_ so_ much. Since birth, she had been used to getting babied and pampered, because she was sickly as a kit. But Goldenfrost didn't seem to give two mousetails about her physical health, not letting her stop training when she was tired or aching. Not only did he not allow her any handicap for her small size and weak disposition, but he pushed her harder than any other apprentice. She was up at dawn every morning, dragged out of her nest while her brothers got to sleep in.

Silverpaw realized a little too late that she had used the wrong tone of voice with her mentor as his eyes narrowed. Well, she wouldn't be so grumpy in the first place if he would just let her rest now and then, she thought. She was so tired she could hardly walk straight!

"Go on." Goldenfrost mewed to Grayheart and Hawkpaw, flicking his tail.

"Good luck." She hissed at the mocking tone of her brother's voice, ears flattening at his smug and amused expression.

She waited for a lecture as the two cats vanished into the brambles, but Goldenfrost was silent for several long moments. When she opened her mouth to speak, he moved his tail in front of her mouth to silence her. He shook his head.

"Follow me." He mewed, expression unreadable. He leaped off, leaving her scrambling after him. Her eyes widened as he jumped into the lower branches of a tall tree. Thunderclan was known for their great treeclimbing abilities – Windflower told her stories about how her ancestors passed down their great climbing abilities to them, but how it was Firestar who had started the tradition of training all apprentices and warriors in the art of aerial and tree combat. Often, their warriors jumped from tree to tree to hunt, spending as much time in the sky as they did on the ground. It scared off intruders from invading, because their higher position often gave them the advantage of surprise. Rockclaw had cheerfully recounted the story of when dirty old Shadowclan had tried to take Thunderclan territory and how they had leapt out of the trees out of the intruders and sent them squealing back to their mothers. It was tradition now that before an apprentice was made into a warrior that they were to climb to the top of the Ancient Oak in the darkness of a new-moon and share tongues with Starclan from the highest branch, as they were closer to their warrior ancestors there than anywhere else except for the Moonpool. No warrior was to ever talk about what dreams they might have underneath the moonless night. Silverpaw both dreaded and looked forward to her Sky Dream.

"Silverpaw." Goldenfrost's calm mew shook her out of her thoughts. Twitching her tail, she dropped into a crouch, making an enormous leap and grabbing the branch with her claws, pulling herself up.

"Good. Next time, try giving yourself a running start. It'll give you more of a lift." He advised, "You don't want to end up plummeting back into the ground or breaking a claw because of a short jump."

Turning away, he leapt up into a higher branch, leading her through the forest on the branches of the trees, their paws never touching ground. A rush of exhilaration flowed through her paws. Up here in the trees, she felt strong and powerful, looking down on the forest below her. Was this what Starclan felt like? Suddenly, Goldenfrost's tail pressed against her chest, stopping her. She realized that they had come to the edge of their territory and they were standing in the high branches of a tree overlooking the lake. The sun was just beginning to set over the horizon, making the lake look almost red. She had always thought their territory was large, especially after from patrolling from one end to the other. But up here, she was struck at how small their territory truly was in the world. From their perch, she could almost see all the way across the lake. To her right were the tall pines of Shadowclan territory, to her left, the treeless moors of Windclan. A breeze ran through her fur, making the leaves around her rustle.

"Take a good look." Goldenfrost murmured, his voice soft on the breeze. "Thunderclan is just one small part of a bigger world. Out there are cats that have never heard of the warrior code, cats so far that you could walk for the rest of your life and never find. We are only on this earth for a short time, before we go walk the skies with our ancestors."

Silverpaw was quiet, sinking in his words, her fur ruffling out.

"Don't waste that time. Never forget that though the world may be bigger than we can even imagine, that we are never small or insignificant."

Silverpaw turned her eyes on her mentor, blinking. "Do you really believe that?" She asked after a long moment.

"If you believe hard enough, anything is possible." He said simply, leaping down the branches until his paws hit the forest floor with a soft thump. Silverpaw remained up in the tree a moment longer, taking in the sight, before following her mentor.


	3. Chapter 3

"I want you to come to the Gathering tonight."

Silverpaw's eyes widened.

"Really?" She could barely contain the excitement in her voice. She knew that the moon was full tonight, but Ashpaw had warned her that new apprentices rarely got to go Gatherings and that she hadn't gone to her first one until at least her second moon of training. She had only been an apprentice for a couple of sunrises.

"No. I thought it would be funny to get your hopes up and then crush them." Goldenfrost purred in amusement, his whiskers twitching.

Silverpaw swatted playfully at her mentor. "Are Nightpaw, Hawkpaw and Stonepaw going to come too?"

"Nightpaw is. Hawkpaw and Stonepaw can wait their turns." Rumbled Emberclaw, the ginger deputy walking up from behind them, "And I know you're my son, Goldenfrost, but I'd appreciate it if next time you'd wait for me to announce these things first before spreading word around camp."

Silverpaw purred as her mentor looked embarrassed, scratching the ground with a claw.

"Can I tell Nightpaw?" She mewed.

Emberclaw sighed, but she could tell by the sparkle in his eyes that he wasn't truly upset. "You might as well, because I know you're going to anyways, Silverpaw."

Running off to her den, Silverpaw practically leapt on top of the sleeping form of her brother. Nightpaw let out a soft groan, shoving her off of him. "Go away, Silverpaw. I just got back from dawn patrol. Lemme sleep…"

Sitting down on her haunches, she unsheathed a single claw and began to gently prod him in the side with it. "C'mon, c'mon, you can sleep later! Wake up, Nightpaw! Remember when you were always pestering me to wake up and play as a kit?"

A single blue eye opened. "And you think you would understand the displeasure of being woken up from a good dream." The black apprentice muttered, closing his eyes again. Silverpaw jabbed him again, this time harder. With a groan, her brother sat up, shaking moss from his fur.

"I'm up, I'm up. You better have received a message from Starclan telling you that I'm going to be leader." Despite his grumpy tone, Silverpaw knew that her favorite brother wasn't really mad at her.

"Not exactly. Besides, _I'm_ going to be leader." Silverpaw mewed, puffing out her chest.

"You can be my deputy." She added kindly.

"Oh gee, thanks."

"Goldenfrost just told me we're going to the Gathering tonight!" Surprise shone in Nightpaw's eyes, followed by excitement and pleasure and then worry.

"What about Stonepaw and Hawkpaw?" He asked slowly, looking around, as if making sure the two toms weren't in the den.

"They'll get to go next time, said Emberclaw. But isn't this great?"

"I just wished that we'd all get to go to our first Gathering together, I suppose." Silverpaw had never been overly fond of her other two littermates, but Nightpaw's loyalty and kindness was one of the reasons that she liked the black tom so much. When Silverpaw had been fighting with Stonepaw and Hawkpaw, Nightpaw had always tried to play the middle-cat and get them to make up. It usually didn't work, but Silverpaw thought that they all adored him for his effort, even if they didn't always get along with each other.

"We all can't do everything together, silly." She purred, giving him a lick behind his ear. "Besides, there are four of us! Bringing two new apprentices is pushing it, let alone four."

"I know." Nightpaw mewed simply, though there was still worry in his eyes, "I just don't think Stonepaw and Hawkpaw are going to be happy."

"Those mousebrains are never happy." Scoffed Silverpaw dramatically, rolling her eyes, "Well, at least they're never happy when I'm happy. They live off my misery."

"What's this about misery?" Stonepaw pushed his way into the apprentice's den. Silverpaw threw herself at her oldest brother, pummeling him with her paws.

"The misery you're going to feel when you find out who's going to the Gathering!" She crowed.

"Silverpaw!" Nightpaw sounded aghast, "We were supposed to break it to them _gently_."

"Break what to us?" Hawkpaw had come in, his striped fur puffed out.

"Nightpaw and I are going to the Gathering!"

Hawkpaw's amber eyes darkened and Stonepaw shoved her off of him. "What about us, though? We've been apprentices just as long." He hissed, ears flattening.

"It's not exactly their fault." Stonepaw pointed out, "Emberclaw and Stormstar decide who go to the Gatherings."

"Silverpaw was always Stormstar's favorite. I bet that's why she gets to go and we don't. It's not fair. _I_ should be going to the Gathering too." Spat Hawkpaw, tail lashing and amber eyes glowing angrily.

"I'm sure that's not true – " Nightpaw began diplomatically, but the dark tabby tom had turned tail and stalked out of the den.

Stonepaw shrugged apologetically. "Don't mind him. He's just upset because he missed a squirrel earlier and Grayheart gave him a tongue lashing for acting up in training. It's no wonder he's not going to the Gathering."

"You could have been a little nicer about it, Silverpaw." Nightpaw mewed.

Silverpaw's ears drooped a little, suddenly feeling guilty. Hawkpaw and Stonepaw were her kin, even if they had thought it was funny to put beetles in her nest and pretend she didn't exist when she walked by when they were kits. "I'm sorry." She murmured. Stonepaw pressed his muzzle against her face, purring softly.

"I saw the size of that pigeon you caught today. You both deserve to be going to the Gathering." He mewed, "I'll go talk to Hawkpaw."

She felt a sudden surge of affection for her oldest brother, feeling even worse for holding a grudge against him. She hadn't realized how much he had matured in the last moon and with a pang, she too wished that they could all go to the Gathering together.

Nightpaw flicked her with his tail. "Can I go back to sleep now?"

xxxxxxxxx

Silverpaw padded alongside of her brother at the back of the party, walking behind their mentors. She noticed that Goldenfrost and Fernheart were walking unusually close, their heads bowed as they talked to each other in hushed whispers. She pricked her ears, straining to hear what they were saying, but Nightpaw was chattering so loudly in her ear that she couldn't make out their words. Frustrated, she gave up and resigned herself to listening to her brother wonder how many cats would be there and if Riverclan really smelled as bad as Cedarstripe they did. She knew that he was only chattering on because he was as nervous as going to their first Gathering as she was.

"Is that the island?" Nightpaw's eyes widened. Silverpaw let out a small gasp. In the moonlight, the lake was beautiful, reflecting the starlight. She could see faint lights flashing from the dark island that jutted out of the water, probably fireflies.

They reached the tree bridge and as they began to cross, Shadowclan's patrol came up behind them. She wrinkled her nose at their scent. They smelled worse up close than the scents they left behind at the border. She was the last of her clanmates to jump onto the log, her claws unsheathing as she scrabbled to keep her balance on the branchy tree. She hadn't expected it to be quite so challenging, but Nightpaw didn't seem to be having any problems, so she pushed ahead, trying to ignore the bile rising in her throat.

Suddenly, the log gave a great heave and she lost her footing. She let out a terrified screech, but a strong jaw gripped her scruff, leaving her hanging above the surface of the lake, her long tail just grazing the surface. Her body stiffened as she was pulled back onto the safety of the tree bridge, her fur standing on end. For a moment, she stood there, paralyzed, her claws digging into the bark.

"Get a move on!" called a grumpy voice from somewhere on the shore.

Giving her chest a quick lick, she scrambled forward, crossing the last few tail lengths, feeling relieved when her paws hit solid ground. Only then did she turn to see who had rescued her. Without realizing it, she began to stare, her eyes as wide as the full moon above. The Shadowclan tom was larger than any cat she had ever seen. She had always thought her father was a tall cat, but this tom easily dwarfed him. She doubted Stormstar's head would come to this cat's shoulders. His pelt was golden with beautiful black dappling and his eyes were a pale gold, flecked with green. The shape of his head was exotic and handsome. Her jaw dropped a little, speechless. He looked like a warrior straight out of Leopardclan!

"Can you speak?" The tom was looking at her strangely and suddenly she realized that he had asked her more than once if she was okay.

"Oh, um… yeah. I'm fine. Thanks to you. I mean. Thanks for saving me." She stumbled over her words, feeling heat rise to her ears in hot embarrassment.

The handsome warrior's whiskers twitched and she thought she saw a flash of warm amusement in his pale eyes. "Just don't make me save you again." He rumbled, even his voice sounding deeper and more exotic than the average clan cats, making all of her fur stand on end, like a current of electricity was running through it. Did all Shadowclan sound like that?

"I see you've met Fallenfire." A nudge jolted her back into reality. Ashpaw's blue eyes were glowing with amusement. Silverpaw wanted to melt into the ground, realizing how stupid she must have looked, just gawking at a Shadowclan warrior.

"Don't worry. I think even all the male apprentices have even had a crush on Fallenfire before." Her denmate joked, "He's handsome, isn't he? I heard that his father was some sort of exotic kittypet that Twolegs kept. But don't let him hear you say that! Dawnfur told me that he once took on three warriors at the same time and sent them all squealing back to their mothers without even a scratch."

Silverpaw blinked in awe. "Wow." She whispered.

"Don't you two have better things to do than sit around gossiping about Shadowclan cats?" Suddenly Ravenstorm appeared behind him, his fur bristling in irritation, "The Gathering's about to start, if you two can stop mooning over that kittypet for half a second."

Ashpaw and Silverpaw exchanged half-amused, half-frightened stares before going to settle down among the Clans.

"Which leader is which?" She whispered to her denmate as the leaders jumped up into the branches of the great oak.

"The pale tabby tom who looks like he has ants under his pelt is Thistlestar." The Shadowclan leader did look distinctly ruffled, as if he had something disgusting underneath his nose. Ashpaw purred. "He always looks like that. Next to him is Amberstar, the leader of Windclan."

"What's that apprentice doing up there? He can't be much older than us." Silverpaw twitched her ears at the tiny white cat sitting in the lower branches of the tree, his pale silver stripes barely visible in the moonlight.

"That's not an apprentice! That's Littlestar, Riverclan's leader. Don't underestimate him because of his small stature – he's clever as a fox with a silver tongue. I don't even think his own Clan trusts him completely."

"Didn't I tell you two to be quiet?" Ravenstorm hissed, "The leaders are about to speak. Show some respect."

Amberstar dipped her head, beginning the Gathering. "Prey had been running well in Windclan." She mewed, "A dog was found roaming on our territory a quarter moon ago. Two of our apprentices were valiant in fighting it off and earned their warrior names in return. Windclan honors Quickstep and Cinderfoot!"

Cheers from all clans echoed through the clearing and Silverpaw joined her voice to theirs, feeling suddenly to be a part of something much bigger.

Stepping back, Stormstar took her place. "Thunderclan has good news as well. We welcome four new apprentices: Nightpaw, Hawkpaw, Stonepaw and Silverpaw."

Silverpaw puffed out her chest as her name was called. Stormstar continued, "We also welcome Dawnfeather's two new kits to the clan."

The Gathering seemed relatively peaceful thus far. "Riverclan has as new deputy." Ripples of shock echoed through the clans.

"What happened to Darknight?" Whispered a Windclan tom sitting not far from her.

"Did he die?" Demanded a Shadowclan warrior.

"Darknight has retired." Littlestar proclaimed above the murmuring. Silverpaw blinked, confused.

"Why is everyone so surprised?" She whispered to Ashpaw.

"Darknight was a young warrior, only made deputy two seasons ago. I wonder what happened to him!" Her denmate's blue eyes were round as the Riverclan leader waited for the noise to die down before continuing.

"He has retired to the elder's den. Blackwhisker will take his place."

Instead of cheers, there was only shocked silence. Littlestar didn't seem to notice. "We also congratulate Hollowpaw on becoming a full medicine cat, taking on the name Hollowsong."

Reluctantly, the clans raised their voices in congratulations. Peering across the clearing, she spotted a proud looking young black tom sitting next to a pretty brown she-cat, who she assumed was Icepool, the medicine cat of Riverclan. She was surprised to notice that Cloudwhisker did not join in. Instead the white tom stared at Hollowsong with narrowed eyes and she wondered what had happened between the two medicine cats.

"That is all." Stepping back, Thistlestar took his place.

"Shadowclan has a new medicine cat apprentice, Lightningpaw. Prey has been running well, though a small band of rogues thought they could help themselves to our bountiful prey. Fallenfire lead the patrol that chased them off. I don't think we'll ever see them set foot in Shadowclan territory again."

The other leaders exchanged worried looks. If the rogues were not truly gone, they could pose a threat to the other clans.

"The gathering is concluded!" The ruffled leader jumped down from the tree, quickly followed by the other leaders. Silverpaw noticed Stormstar pad up to Emberclaw, the two cats talking in quiet, hushed voices. While all the news was relatively peaceful, she could sense a tension between the cats in the clearing and she felt something was not quite right as she made the trip back to her camp.

**AN: Thanks to everyone who's read this up to now! Your reviews and views mean a lot to me. **


	4. Chapter 4

"_I wonder if Mothwhisker likes me…"_

"_Hmph! Mouse-brained tom thinks he knows it all now that he's a warrior! Just because he's Thistlestar's son doesn't mean he's better than anyone else."_

"_I can't believe it's almost sunhigh and that lazy apprentice hasn't brought me a single piece of fresh-kill. Why, I ought to shred his ears when he gets back!"_

Fallenfire flicked his ears as he pushed away the thoughts of his clanmates, trying to concentrate on what Mistshadow was saying to him. She and her brother Talonstrike had just recently been made warriors, just a moon after he himself had been made a warrior. Her crush on him had been no secret to him from the start; he would have known even if he hadn't been born with the ability to hear every cat's thoughts as clearly as they were speaking out loud. The way she followed him around with moony eyes made it painfully obvious. His whiskers twitched in amusement. Many of the tom-cats in the clan were mouse-brained when it came to the subject of she-cats. For instance, Mothwhisker had been deeply in love with Thornstripe ever since she was made his apprentice, but he had only recently started to wonder if she saw him in that light.

"It was brave of you to save that Thunderclan apprentice at the Gathering last night…" Mistshadow was mewing, trailing off, but he could hear the rest of her thoughts,_ "I wish I had fallen into the lake so you could have saved me too."_

It had been hard for him as a kit and even as an apprentice to hide his ability. At first, he didn't realize that he even had it. Every cat's thoughts were as clearly as their spoken words, making it hard to distinguish what was being spoken and what was left unsaid. He had gotten better at blocking off the thoughts of his clanmates. Occasionally when he began to zone out, they would all come rushing back, loud and chattering. The noise often gave him a headache, so he spent much of his time trying to concentrate on his own thoughts and not the thoughts of others. But he could not block it out completely. Even when he was ignoring his clanmates thoughts, he could hear them buzzing in the back of his mind, whispering secrets that he was never supposed to know. The only time he got quiet was in his sleep. Perhaps as a tradeoff for his power to see into the minds of other cats, he met only darkness in his rest and could never recall having dreamt, though sometimes he would wake up with the distinct sense that he was forgetting something important.

He had never told anyone about his power, though he suspected that Thistlestar had some knowledge of it. He also thought that his mother might have an inkling, since after all, she was the first to give him quizzical looks when he would respond to things she had said in her mind. But if she knew, she never said anything. Leopardpelt was nothing but protective and supportive of her son. Fallenfire felt a rush of affection for his mother. She had raised him without a father and without the support of her clan. Many of his clanmates distrusted him for his unknown father, who Leopardpelt refused to talk or even think about. When he was a kit, he had been taunted and called a kittypet by all the other kits. But by the time he was a warrior, no one dared to taunt him any longer. He easily towered over all his clanmates. He supposed he had gotten his size from his father, because his mother was small and delicate, despite the fierce great warrior clan she was named after.

Fallenfire often wondered if he should tell his leader about his powers. After all, being able to see into the very thoughts of other cat's was a useful ability, especially for rooting out traitors and enemies. But he didn't want to put his leader into a difficult decision of whether or not to use his power and ensure the safety of his clan while jeopardizing their privacy when the warrior code said that they were to trust their clanmmates. It also made him dangerous, a warrior that could anticipate a cat's every move. His mentor had always attributed to his incredible fighting skills to his big but agile body, but most of his success was due to being able to predict what an enemy was going to do sometimes before they even realized they were going to do it.

"I was only doing what was right." He said, taking another bite of his squirrel thoughtfully. His mind wandered back to the Thunderclan apprentice that had stumbled off the tree bridge at the Gathering just the night before. He had managed to catch her before she fell in, her weight barely more than that of freshkill. It wasn't hard to figure out her name. Silverpaw. A suiting name for the tiny she-cat. Her dappled silver and dark gray pelt had shone like the stars underneath the moonlight, striking her mismatched amber and blue eyes, making them look like the sun and the moon. He discovered that she was the daughter of Stormstar and that the thought of her mother crossed the Thunderclan's leader mind frequently, those thoughts bringing another wave of grief upon the gray tom. Silverpaw was stubborn and outspoken, but very kind when she wasn't trying to be difficult. She was determined to set herself apart from her three older littermates and from the image that had been left upon her clan as a sick and weak kit.

He hadn't gleaned any of this information from the she-cat herself, actually. While she was certainly very pretty and had an appealing personality, it was her mind that drew him the most. Her thoughts were unclear to him, like soft echoing whispers in a cave. Trying to listen to her thoughts was like trying to hear underwater. He was aware that she was, in fact, thinking, but for some reason, he could not understand the whispers of her mind. Never before was there a cat whose thoughts he couldn't hear and whose mind he couldn't look into if he wanted to. He hadn't had much opportunity to figure out why at the Gathering and he knew that he wouldn't able to rest until he discovered what she was thinking.

"Fallenfire? Where are you going?" The distressed mew of Mistshadow echoed after him.

"Hunting." Was his generic answer.

"Can I come with you-"

"No." He said a bit too sharply and upon feeling the white she-cat's hurt, he said more softly, "I just want some time alone. We can share freshkill tonight."

xxxxxxxx

Silverpaw crouched low to the ground as she watched the blackbird pecking at the ground underneath a tree. She flattened herself into the bramble before leaning back on her haunches, ready to make a gigantic leap –

_CAW! CAW! _

Suddenly the bird flew off at the sound of rustling. Cursing under her breath, she launched herself into the air, missing the tail feathers of the bird by a mouse whisker. She landed on the ground, fur bristling. Whoever made that noise was going to get a shredding! That was the fattest piece of prey she had seen all day and she refused to go back to camp with only two scrawny mice. She bet Hawkpaw had caught three times that. And that blackbird had been _gigantic_!

"Silverpaw."

The apprentice froze, opening her mouth, breathing in the scents around her. Shadowclan! But surely she hadn't crossed the border without noticing –

A heavy body slammed into her, knocking her off her feet and pinning her to the ground. She struggled and prepared to let out a loud yowl. "Shh, quiet." The cat above her whispered and her eyes widened. For some reason she obeyed, but her fur was still bristling and her ears flattened.

"Fallenfire?" She mewed, then grew hot with embarrassment as she realized that he had never introduced himself to her at the gathering, which meant that she had obviously been asking about him.

He rolled off of her, licking a paw. He looked even more handsome by day – or, well, sunset, as the sun was nearly down over the horizon. She took a moment longer to get to her paws than she would have liked.

"What are you doing on my territory?" She hissed.

"Relax." The tom said calmly, tilting his head to the side. "I'm just here to talk."

"With Stormstar? Is something wrong in Shadowclan?" Suddenly, her fur flattened, a look of concern on her face. "I can go get him –"

"It's you I want to talk with, Silverpaw."

Those words sent shivers down her spine. She blinked up at him stupidly. "_Me?_" She mewed incredulously. What could this handsome Shadowclan warrior possibly want with an apprentice like her?

"Meet me tomorrow night at the edge of our borders." He murmured, taking a step closer, so that she could feel his breath on her ear. And with that, he turned around and padded back onto his side of the border, not even waiting for her response, as if he was already certain that she would come.


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Chapter five already! I thank those who've kept with this story this long and those who have just begun to read this. Please review or message me with your opinions and feedback, whether it is positive or negative! It encourages me, hearing back from you guys.**

This was mouse-brained.

A mixture of guilt and excitement boiled in Silverpaw's stomach, making her feel nauseous and reminding her of her days of a kit, sickly and vomiting. With every step she took, she was tempted to take a step backwards, back to camp. A stab of guilt wracked her again as she remembered sneaking out the apprentice's den. Nightpaw had sleepily left his head when she got up from his side. She had told the first lie in her life. That she was going to the dirtplace and that she would be right back.

She loved and trusted her brother, but she couldn't tell him that she was going to meet a Shadowclan warrior, of all things.

He wouldn't understand.

After all, she hardly understood why she was doing this herself.

"Fallenfire?" She whispered, her mew hardly more than a soft breath. She was where he had asked her to meet him, but she couldn't scent him. Wind blew in her fur, ruffling it. Was this a trick? A cruel prank on a Thunderclan apprentice? Or even worse! Fear wracked her. What if this was an ambush? She hardly seemed important enough to lure away from camp to kill. Unless Shadowclan was doing it to weaken her father. She thought of Stormstar, the grief he tried to hide in his eyes every time he saw her. He called her his little miracle and she had overheard him murmuring to Cloudwhisker that she looked just like her mother. She couldn't remember Breezewing very well, just a few flashes of vague memories and warm milk scent mixed with sickness and fear. Remembering the hurt in her father's eyes, she realized that any one of his kit's deaths would break him.

Backing up, she prepared to run back to camp. This was a horrible idea! How could she have let herself be so easily manipulated–?

"Silverpaw?" It was too late. Flattening her ears, she unsheathed her claws.

"What's wrong?" Concern flashed in the gigantic dappled golden tom's eyes. Her fur slowly flattened and she opened her mouth, breathing in his warm scent. He was alone. She hadn't been betrayed.

A tongue rasped over her ear. Silverpaw blinked up in surprise at the gentle motion. The tom's expression was hard to read, but he was looking at her with a gentle look, similar to the way her father looked upon her. She leaned against him, unsheathing her claws and shivering a little, despite herself.

"Don't be afraid. I'm here."

"I-I'm not afraid!" Silverpaw finally found her tongue, pulling away and quickly licking the fur on her chest down.

"Your fear-scent suggest otherwise." Fallenfire said quietly, blinking in soft amusement at her. She hissed, swatting at his ear. He ducked.

"Hey!" He protested, "What was that for?"

Whiskers quivering, she leaped on top of him. Anxiety still stirred in her stomach, but she purred as she pushed him to the ground, laying on top of him with a sheathed paw on his throat. "Say that again! Thunderclan warriors aren't afraid of anything." She proclaimed.

"Oh really?" Fallenfire purred, flicking his tail and not making a move to dislodge her, "I wasn't the one shaking in fear."

"Take that back!" She lightly bit her teeth into the loose skin around his neck, careful not to draw blood.

"You'll have to make me!" The tom's eyes glew with mischievousness and he suddenly pushed her off of him, prancing a few steps away, the tip of his tail twitching.

Silverpaw launched herself at him and they wrestled for a few moments, before she found herself pinned to the ground with his heavy weight on top of her. "Get off of me!" She pushed at his shoulders.

"Oh no! All the strength is draining out of my body! Can't… stay… upright… any… longer…" With a distinct _oof_, he collapsed onto her, his deadweight crushing her. Silverpaw squealed, squirming, but he easily weighed more than twice she did. After a few moments, she stopped moving, panting.

"You're crushing me, you great lump!"

"Can't… move…" He gasped dramatically, "Only a kiss from a beautiful she-cat can break my curse…!"

Silverpaw quickly licked his cheek, before pinning her ears back in embarrassment, looking away as he pushed himself off of her. She scrambled to her feet. Her eyes only met his as he gently rested his head against her, giving her a soft lick. His scent washed over hers, smelling like the pine trees his clan lived in and faintly of sweet sap.

"You saved me." He teased, "Your debt has been repaid."

"Hey! I never asked you to save me in the first place." She protested.

"Oh? Would you prefer I have let you drown in the lake?"

"Shut up." She grumbled, then after a moment, added softly, "Thank you for saving me, though. I never really got to thank you before."

Fallenfire was quiet. For a long time, they sat side by side, their fur brushing together. Usually, Silverpaw found silence uncomfortable, doing her best to always fill it up with as much chatter as she could. But next to this tom she barely knew, she felt oddly at ease. She would have been content to watch the stars with him for moons.

"Thanks for coming, Silverpaw." Fallenfire suddenly mewed, turning his golden gaze upon her.

She blinked. "Why did you ask me to come here?"

He didn't answer immediately and she wondered if that was the wrong thing to ask. He sighed, his shoulders tensing. She was afraid he would get up and walk away. And she didn't know why she cared whether or not he left, because he was a Shadowclan warrior and she was a Thunderclan apprentice and this wasn't in the warrior code.

"I don't know." He finally admitted, "I couldn't get you out of my mind. I had to see you."

Silverpaw leaned against him. "I couldn't get you out of my mind either." She whispered.

"Oh?" He tilted his head, eyes tinted with amusement.

"Shut it, mousebrain." She growled, "I didn't think about you _all _the time! Just… quite a bit."

"What are you thinking about now?" He met her gaze. She was taken aback by the sudden hunger in his eyes, like her every word was a precious piece of prey in leaf-bare.

"Well…" She started.

They talked for a long time. Silverpaw told him about her three brothers and how they were always getting on her nerves, even Nightpaw. She told him how her clan looked upon her like she was still weak and sick and how they never thought she could do anything. Fallenfire told her how he had grown up without a father.

"My clanmates never trusted me either, but in a different way. They didn't know who my father was and I didn't look like anyone else in the clan. My denmates called me a kittypet." He had mewed.

"Do you know who your father is?" She had asked quietly. She couldn't imagine not knowing who her parents were. She may not remember Breezewing very well, but she knew that she had been a loyal Thunderclan warrior. She couldn't imagine not knowing if her mother was a clan cat, a rogue or even a kittypet.

He shook his head. "My mother won't talk about it."

"I'm sorry." They were quiet after that, laying together until the sun began to rise above the horizon. Fallenfire was the first to move, stirring from their makeshift nest. He gently nudged her from the soft doze she had fallen into.

"I've got to go. Can I see you again?"

Silverpaw knew she should say no. This was forbidden.

But instead, she whispered,

"Yes."


End file.
